Friction-disk and method of making the same



April 29, 1941. G. wALTERs FRICTION-DISK AND METHOD 0F MAKING 'I HE SAME Filed Dec.` 14, 1939 2 Sheets-Shee. l

G. WALTERS April 29, 1941.

FRICTION-DISK AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SARE 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Dec. 14, 1939 Patented Apr. 29, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRICTION-DISK AND BIETHOD OF MAKING THE SAME l Gustav Walters, Middletown, Conn., asslgnor to The Russell Manufacturing Company, Middletown, Conn., a corporation of Connecticut Application December 14, 1939, Serial No. 309,152

10 Claims.' (Cl. 192-107) will appear to those skilled in the art from .the

present disclosure, this invention includes all features in the said disclosure which are novel over the prior art. A

In the accompanying drawings, in which cer- -tain Ways of car-rying out the invention are shown for illustrative purposes:`

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a fragment of a length of :a woven member or band of textile-base material, used for making friction-disks in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 2 is an edge elevation of Fig. 1;

- Fig. 3 is an enlarged cross section on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 1 after the band shown in Fig. 1' Ihas been treated or impregnated with binding material;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation'of a fragment of a length of a braided band or.member of textilel base material, which may be used for making friction-disks in accordance with this invention;

Fig. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the rolling or spirally winding up of a treated band of maiterial to form a biscuit which is subsequently to b formed into a friction-disk;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of a biscuit made in accordance with the process illustrated in Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a `central vertical sectional view through a pair of dies and a biscuit just .prior to the dies being forced together;

Fig. '9 is a view similar to Fig. 8 after the dies have 'been for-ced together, the dies preferably ,being heated to convert the biscuit into a roughpressed friction-disk; and

Fig.\l0 is a rperspective view of a finished friction-disk or facing.

In the following description and claims the various parts and steps'are identied by specific names forconve'nience, but .they are intended to be as generic in their application as-the prior art will permit.

Referring to the drawings, a length of material such as the band or member or web 20, after being treated with suitable binding material which is preferably heat-hardenable, is spirally wound and formed into a friction-.disk or facing or ring for c-lutches and the like, as will be more fully hereinafter set forth. The band 20 is made in the form of a flattened tube .by loosely weaving together a plurality of warp strands 2| and a continuous generally-helical weft strand 22. Preferably, a plurality of interior or central strands 23 extend through the tubular outer V.woven portion formed of the interwoven strands 2| and 22 in order to increase the bulk of the band. The strands 2|, 22 and 23 may be of the same or dierent sizes and are preferably formed of asbestos which may contain a certain portion of cotton or other strengthening Vlibre and, preferably, the strands have Wire cores 24 of brass or other suitable metal. As is illustrated by the en larged sectional View in Fig. 3, the Warp strands 2| are spaced sufficiently apart andso loosely interwoven with the weft strands'22 as to produce the attened .tube illustrated, having a width considerably greater than its thickness. The band or web 2|] is next impregnated with suitable friction binding treatment, preferably of a type which -will give a strong bonding action under heat and pressure. Figs. 1, 2, 3 and 4 are made substantially proportionally true to scale from an actual sample.`

- Instead of making the flattened tubular band or web by a weaving process, any other mode of y loosely interlacing the strands may be employed,

such as making the band or web 25 illustrated in Fig. 5 by means of braiding together a series of exterior strands 26 to form a attened tube.

disk from the bands 20 and 25 are essentially identical, a description Will only be given of making a friction-disk from the band or web 20.

As is schematically illustrated in Fig. 6, a precut definite length of band 20 is wound in a spiral in any suitable Way, as about a mandrel 28, to provide/a number of layers or convolutions in the form of a ring, after which a loop of adhesive paper 29 or other suitable binding means can be passed around the free endsll and 3| of the band 20, forming-the coils of the biscuit or ring 32,

to temporarily-prevent the coils or convolutions of .the biscuit d2 from unwinding or becoming displacedl The biscuit 32 is then placed between the pair of heated dies 33 and dll, as vshown :in Fig, 8,

whereupon the dies are forcibly brought togetherin a direction which may be said to be axial or parallel to the axis of the biscuit, to the position shown in Fig. 9, with the result that the binding treatment, which is usually of a hard rubber or synthetic resin base, which is heat-hardenable,

' is softened by .the heat to a pasty condition, and

the entire biscuit is crushed down to form. a unitary annular ring-like rough-pressed frictiondisk iid which includes irregular outer and inner dash portions @t and 3l. Whether the binding or bonding treatment is of the rubber or synthetic resin or other type, the heat which is applied first causes the treatment to soften up to a pasty condition and thenbrings about a chemical action which hardens the treatment so that the entire disk becomes a unitary mass with the strands extending through the mass. After the rough-pressed disk 35 has the ash portions lid,

di trimmed off and is ground on both inner and i outer edges and ,both opposite faces, a finished disk such as 3E illustrated in Fig. i0 is produced.

By having the Width of each convolution considerably greater than its thickness, it ispossible to employ a biscuit 32 whose Width or height between the dies 33 and is considerably greater than the depth of the annular die-cavity 3% in. the lower die 33, thus permitting the employment of a biscuit di whose radial thickness is sdbstantially less than the radial width of the dic-cavity 39, so that the biscuit tu can be readily placed in the die-cavity ad without having to departing from the spirit and essential characteristics ofthe invention, and the present embodiments are, therefore, to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, and all changes coming within the meaning and equivalency range of the appended claims are intended to be embraced therein.

I claim: i i. A friction-disk formed of a spirally-Wound member comprising strands loosely interlaced and forming a attened tube of considerably greater width than thickness, the strands of the member having been treated with heat-hardenabie binding material prior to the member being spirally wound, the'side edges of the attened tube forming the side edges of the convolutions of the spiraliwwound member, and the spirally-v Wound member having been subjected to heat and axial pressure tocause the spirally-Wound member to form a unitary disk. l

2. A friction-disk formed of a spirally-wound member comprising strands loosely interwoven and forming a flattened tube of considerably greater width than thickness, the strands-of the member having been treated with heat-hardenable binding material prior to the member being spirally wound, the side edges of the attened tube forming the side edges of the convolutions of the spirally-wound member,. and the spirallywound member having been subjected to heat and axial pressure tocause the spirally-Wound member to form a unitary disk.

3. A friction-disk formed of a spiraliy-wound member comprising strands loosely braided and forming a attened tube of considerably greater width than thickness, the strands of the member,

having been treated with heat-hardenable binding material prior to the member being spirally wound, the side edges of the iiattened tube forming the side edges of the convolutions of the spirally-wound member, and the spirally-v/ound member having been subjected to heat and axial pressure to cause the spirally-wound member to form a unitary disk.`

4. A friction-disk formed of a spiraily-wound member comprising interior strands, and exterior strands loosely interlaced and forming a flattened tube of considerably greater width than thickness, the strands of the member having been treated with heat-hardenable binding material prior tothe member being spirally wound,

the side edges of the attened tube forming theside edges of the convolutions of the spirallywound member, and the spirally-wound member having been subjected to heat and axial pressure to cause the spirally-wound member to form a unitary disk.

5. A friction-disk formed of a spirally-wound member comprising interior strands, and cxterior strands closely interwoven and forming a attened tube oi' considerably greater width than thickness, the strands of the member having been treated with heat-hardenable binding material prior to the member being spirally wound, the side edges of the attened tube forming the side edges oi the convolutions of the spirally-Wound member, and the spirally-Wound member having been subjected to heat and axial pressure to cause the spirally-wound member to form a unitary disk.

6. The method of making a friction-disk comprising: providing a. member comprising strands loosely interlaced and forming a nattened tube of considerably greater Width than lthickness, the strands oi the member having been treated with heat-hardenable binding material; spirally Winding said treated member into disk-like form, with the side edges of the attened. tube forming the side edges or the convolutions of the spirally- Wound member; and subjecting the spirally- Wound member to heat and axial pressure to cause the spiral-ly-Wound member toforrn a. unitary disk. y

7. The method of making a friction-disk comprising: providing a member comprising strands loosely interwoven and forming a flattened tube of considerably greater width than thickness, the strands of the member having been treated with heat-hardenable binding material; spirally Winding said treated memberinto disk-like form, with the side edges of the flattened tube forming the side edges of the convolutions of the spirallywound member; and subjecting the spirallywound member to heat and axial pressure to cause Ithe spirally-wound member to form a unitary disk. j 8. The method of making a friction-disk comprising: providing a member comprising strands loosely braided and forming a attened tube of considerably greater width than thickness,l the strands of the member having been treated with heat-hardenable binding material; spirally winding said treated member into disk-like form, with the side edges of the flattened tube forming the prising: providing a member comprising interiorstrands, and exterior strands looselyinterlaced and forming a flattened tube of considerably,

greater width than thickness, the strands of the member having been treated with heat-hardenable binding material; spirally winding said treated member into disk-like form. with the side edges of the attened tube forming the side edges of the convoiutions of the spirally-wound member; and subjecting the spirally-wound member to heat and axial pressure to cause' the spirally- .Wound member to form a unitary disk.

10. The method oi making a friction-disk c omprising: providing a member comprising interior strands, and exterior strands loosely interwoven and forming. a flattened tube of considerably greater width than thickness, the strands of the member having been treated with heat-hardenable binding material; spirally winding said treated member into disk-like form, with the side edges ofthe flattened tube forming the side. edges of the convolutions of the spirally-wound member; and subjecting the spirally-w'ound memberto heat and axial pressure to cause the spirally-wound member to form a unitary disk. GUSTAV WALTERS. 

